Blast Off — online game
December 2013…Blast Off” is a great game to test your knowledge of healthy foods and exercise. When I played the game, I had so much fun. It was challenging because the goal is to fuel a spaceship with smart foods and with 60 minutes of exercise. If you win, your spaceship will go to Planet Power.
You can’t just add food to your ship. You need food from all food groups. The food groups you can choose from are fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. Food has to be put in for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. If you put in too much food, your ship gets too heavy and you can’t lift off.
I liked looking at all the activities for exercise. Did you know doing house chores and walking your dog are types of exercise?
I like this game a lot. It was challenging at first, but it was fun so I kept playing it! I think students who are 8 years old and older will like it. It was hard for me. It has good music and good fun!
You can find “Blast Off” at: www.fns.usda.gov. Go to the website’s search engine and type in: “Blast Off Game.” You will spot it in the results. Enjoy!
—By Maggie Daniels, Cole Manor Healthy Comet
A Drop of Blood
By Paul Showers
This book teaches kids about science using interesting pictures and details. In my opinion, it is an awesome book.
The book is published by HarperCollins and is packed with 25 pages of awesome facts about blood.
“A Drop of Blood” talks about why humans need blood and how blood works. Dracula is the main character in the story and his job is to explain blood. It is funny because we know Dracula is a make-believe character who drinks blood!
I learned a lot from reading this book. Everyone knows that blood is red, but did you know it is red because of red cells? The red cells carry oxygen. We need oxygen to live. The red cells carry oxygen from the lungs to every part of the body.
Another cool fact is when we eat, the food is changed into liquid and moves into our blood. The blood takes the oxygen and food to our bones, muscles, and our brain. White blood cells are also in our blood. White blood cells protect us from getting sick. The last cool fact is that kids have about five pints of blood in our body. An adult who is 180 pounds can have about eleven pints of blood in their body.
I would recommend “A Drop of Blood” for students in second grade and older. There are lots of vocabulary words and longer sentences. I also think people who want to be doctors, nurses, or surgeons should read this book. I enjoyed it!
—By Iresa Lincoln, Cole Manor Healthy Comet
Hear Your Heart
By Paul Showers
“Hear Your Heart” is an informational book. This book is only 33 pages and has lots of great pictures. It is filled with lots of interesting facts about the heart. For example, did you know that your heart is about as big as your fist?
It also doesn’t look like a heart or a valentine. The heart looks like a pear with tubes. The books teach a lot about how the heart works. The heart beats every day to move blood through your body.
Another interesting fact is that the heart is a strong muscle that works days and night. The heart has veins, arteries, and valves. Valves keep the blood moving in the right direction. The veins and arteries transport the blood to and from the heart.
A third interesting fact we learned in the book is that a third and fourth grader’s heart beats about 90 times a minute, but an adult’s heart beats about 72 times a minute. And a baby’s heart beats more than 120 times a minute!
We think kids ages 7 and up should read the book because they will understand it better than younger kids. It is a good book for kids who like science or want to be doctors or nurses when they grow up. We really liked the book because it had great pictures and we learned a lot.
 —By Brian Burke, Mahogany Greene, and Kevin Wayne, Cole Manor Healthy Comet
